Sunday, 5 September 2010

Edward Johnson

In 1863, following the reorganization of the Army of Northern Virginia to compensate for the death of Stonewall Jackson after the Battle of Chancellorsville, Johnson was promoted to major general and given command of the "Stonewall Division" in Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's Second Corps. He was summoned back from medical leave to take the command.By May 1863, Johnson had recovered enough to lead his new division in the Gettysburg Campaign. He still required a heavy hickory stick to move around on foot (and was known to use it against men he believed were shirking battle), giving him the nickname "Old Clubby" by his men.Johnson arrived at the Battle of Gettysburg on the evening of the first day, July 1, 1863. In a move that is still controversial, Ewell did not take advantage of Johnson's division and attack Cemetery Hill immediately that evening, when it might have been decisive. Johnson then controversially declined to attack Culp's Hill that same evening, for which he had a discretionary order. Johnson's division was the primary force that attacked Culp's Hill on the second and third days, suffering considerable casualties assaulting this impregnable position multiple times with no lasting success.